Five More Reasons to Read Every Day
Life is tough, right? We’re always looking for ways to become happier, smarter, richer, and just plan better with the least effort possible. So why, when the obvious time-tested answers are staring us in the face, do we look away in search of something new and gaudy? The answer, when wondering how to become better in almost all possible ways, is to READ. Reading makes us better in so many profound ways. Obviously, through the right kind of reading, we become more knowledgeable. We also become clearer thinkers with more expansive vocabularies. But if you need more incentive than that to pick up a book, consider five more ways reading will make you better: 1. Reading makes you happier. “A nationwide survey commissioned by the National Year of Reading to explore the importance of reading in everyday life confirmed that reading can have real benefits for your health, as…
Rate Your Pain to Make It Wane
“Making it wane” sounds like a really immature way to describe a really immature act, but if you can get past that, you’ve got the only proper way to deal with stress. Obviously, when engaged in a high pressure task like standardized testing, we don’t want to allow stress to escalate, triggering a cascade of failure. We should also strive for more than the status quo when our status screams “Freaking out!” The way to win is to reduce your response to stress in the moment until you’ve achieved the optimal level of performance. The trick, then, is mastering an arsenal of stress-management strategies. One effective method is to rate your anxiety, then see if you can get that number lower: Anxiety is not an all–or–nothing condition; it exists on a continuum. When you’re feeling anxious, rate your anxiety on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being completely…
Test Anxiety: Taming the Beast
Since test anxiety occurs at both a biological and cognitive level, developing ways to manage both levels of symptoms is the best path to effectively managing test anxiety. The good news is that biological and cognitive processes tend to work together, so any effort put towards managing one set of symptoms will have a positive effect on both. Practice these techniques before going into an exam (and even during an exam if need be), and with time, you will begin to tame the beast and regain control over your academic performance. Managing Physical Symptoms Breathe Simply focusing on your breathing can decrease stress. An effective technique called diaphragmatic breathing can instantly lower your anxiety level. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it for 2 seconds, then breathe out of your mouth for 4 seconds. Repeat 5 times and see if you notice a change in your…
Test Anxiety: How the Beast is Born
Test anxiety is not a mental illness nor are people born with this affliction. Instead, test anxiety is a learned behavior. The goods news is that people can unlearn this debilitating response to test-taking. Research identifies two forms of test anxiety: somatic (what happens biologically) and cognitive (what happens mentally). Most people experience both simultaneously, creating a perfect storm of nerves and panic. Thoughts feed stress hormones which cause these hormones to surge through the body and vice versa. While some students may be genetically predisposed to higher arousal levels which induce anxiety, others are fueling this biochemical mind-storm with their thoughts alone. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America cite the following thought patterns as precursors to test anxiety: Fear of failure: While the pressure to perform can act as a motivator, it can also be devastating to individuals who tie their self-worth to the outcome of a test.…
Test Anxiety: An Unruly Beast
Imagine studying for hours on end, fully preparing for an exam, and feeling confident about knowing all the required information only to sit down to take the exam and forgetting everything that you know. The moment the teacher begins distributing the exam, your heart starts racing, your mind draws a blank, and out of nowhere, intense fear paralyzes you. If you have experienced this before, you may have test anxiety. Test anxiety is a serious problem and, for those who have succumbed to it, an incredibly frustrating experience. According to the American Test Anxieties Association, 16-20% of students today experience test anxiety. That’s quite a high prevalence, but hardly surprising when you consider the stress that millennials are under. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the symptoms of test anxiety in children and teens include the following: Physical symptoms: Headaches, nausea, diarrhea, excessive sweating, shortness of breath,…
Overscheduling: How Dreams Turn into Nightmares
The Wonder Woman and Superman complex is as old as the American dream. The individualistic nature of our culture values the drive to be the best and do it all. While these are commendable traits that allow many people to achieve their dreams, there is also a shadow side to this drive that can result in stress-induced nightmares. We’ve all seen it before: the go-getter rises to the top only to fall over from exhaustion. Priorities become misplaced and moods turn sour. Before you know it, the go-getter has lost sight of his original dream and is drowning in a sea of strained relationships and expectations. In 2007, researchers at Walden University found that adolescents who are overscheduled report higher rates on anxiety. The negative effects of anxiety on adolescents are numerous and potentially devastating: delinquency, burnout, depression, violence, and substance abuse. Recognizing the signs of overscheduling can create space…